PARIS, Feb 2, 2005/ FW/ --- Isn’t it ironic that male designers rule women’s wear? Well, if you think that’s bizarre, just get ready for the new trend of female designers who are launching a bid rule men’s wear. Among them is a talented British designer for De Fursac.

Julia Smith signed for De Fursac one of the strongest, if not the strongest men’s ready-to-wear collections coming from the Paris runways for the Fall 2005 - Winter 2006 season. I’m so excited about it that I actually skipped the next show and dashed home to put my thoughts to paper about this collection born from the mind of the very British Miss Smith.

She began the show with an irreproachable trench coat ensemble with a cascade of 10 buttons running down the front and a slit run down the back from the shoulders to the waist.

Her suits for De Fursac make any man look as if he was born in wealth. Wearing any one of them such as the single-breasted corduroy suit with pencil thin-pants or the suit featuring the jacket made in the form of a sailor’s jacket would make any man the envy of his playboy pals or the object of some women’s lustful desires!

The collection features basic colors such as taupe, black, off-white and a little military green and brown for diversity. Buckles and buttons are the only embellishments to this collection. Nothing else was really required as cuts and fabric selections are among the best in the industry.

Miss Smith did many banded collar jackets and cropped to the waist in sleek leathers. She cleverly placed the snap about an inch to the right of the Adam’s apple. She teamed these creations together with wool turtlenecks for a dressy intercontinental look.

As Jean-Claude Jitrois has made leather his calling card, Miss Smith has made nubuck the fabric of choice for the past two collections. She seems to have found a way of injecting subtle sex appeal into each piece that she creates with the skins.

Nothing can be found to reproach of her men’s suits which range from playboy inspirations to knock-down, drag-out sexiness.

What is it with Miss Smith? How is it possible for her to understand what men want when most of them don’t even realize what they need?

Julia Smith obviously loves men and it shows in this collection in everything ranging from the sleek gloves to the pencil-thin trousers that caress the backsides of the models that paraded around the runway.

De Fursac

De Fursac

De Fursac

De Fursac